The mixed reactions in Quebec to the death of Queen Elizabeth II highlight the province’s complex relationship with the monarchy.
In the days after the Queen’s death, incumbent Premier Francois Legault — who is currently on the campaign trail ahead of an Oct. 3 election — has faced questions about whether the province should now eliminate the position of lieutenant governor, as well as criticism from the Parti Québécois for lowering the Quebec flag to half mast in honour of the late queen.
"In Quebec, this appears to be a vestige of a colonialist era that we thought had disappeared," he said in an interview."In Quebec, the majority of people would say, 'we don't know why this continues in Canada and we don't know why this has been imposed on us in Quebec.'" "We cannot overlook that she represented an institution, the British crown, that has caused significant harm to Quebecers and Indigenous nations," he told reporters.
Legault said he knows there have been calls to replace the lieutenant-governor, but noted it's not one of his priorities if he's re-elected. But it's not just in Quebec where the popularity of the monarchy has been slipping, said Benoît Pelletier, a professor of constitutional law at the University of Ottawa and a former cabinet minister in the Quebec Liberal government of Jean Charest."I think that over the coming months there will be a debate on the future of the constitutional monarchy," he said, adding that he expects it will eventually lead to a referendum on the issue.
While there have been expressions of republicanism in Quebec’s history, it would be a mistake to conclude that Quebec has always rejected the monarchy, said Marc Chevrier, a political science professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal.
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